Chapter 142: A Greater Crisis
Chapter 142: A Greater Crisis
Xuanxin Sect.
Daoshan Peak.
At the sect’s grand celebration, the quietest place was actually the one that was usually the busiest.
A man and a woman stood facing each other.
Lu Hangzhi, wearing the sect leader’s robes of the Xuanxin Sect, stared steadily at the girl before him. He remembered her, but not very clearly.
Her face was pretty, her nose elegant and delicate, but her eyes were covered by a narrow black veil. Paired with her colorful dress, she had a unique, foreign charm. Despite being only at the Early Spirit Concentration Stage, she was remarkably composed and relaxed in front of Lu Hangzhi. She turned gracefully toward the Main Peak, where the sounds of music and celebration came from the Black-White Chessboard.
“It’s a very nice and lively succession ceremony,” she said. “But you, the main character, left early. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
Hearing this, Lu Hangzhi glanced toward the Main Peak and thought to himself:
Wasn’t it you who suddenly sent a voice transmission and revealed your identity? And also… do all female cultivators from the Barbarian Continent like to cover their faces and eyes with veils?
“Back at Two Realms Mountain, I was searching for the person who taught me the method of merging Sword Qi. Since you took the initiative to show yourself, of course I must properly thank you,” Lu Hangzhi said.
He did not let her youthful, carefree appearance make him treat her casually. Instead, he became even more respectful.
“If you do not mind the noise at the sect, we could go back to the Main Peak to talk. I think…”
“Don’t!”
She cut him off before he could finish.
“Let’s just talk here,” the girl said. “Also, you don’t need to call me ‘senior.’ My name is Situ Chuyun. You can call me Lady Situ.”
“Okay,” Lu Hangzhi quickly nodded.
“Lady Situ, you’ve shown yourself. Is there something you need to tell me?”
“You’re quite clever,” the girl said with a hint of a sarcastic smile. “It’s a pity you’re just like the others, still unaware of how terrifying your enemies truly are.”
“Please enlighten me, senior,” Lu Hangzhi said, frowning slightly, a rare look of seriousness on his face.
Situ Chuyun snorted. She flipped her hand and produced a half-person-sized Monster Beast rat. “I caught this rat while wandering around your Xuanxin Sect’s territory.”
“Huh?” Lu Hangzhi looked surprised.
The Mirror Spirit Cat on his shoulder instantly bristled. It arched its back, its vertical pupils narrowed to slits, and stared intently at the Monster Beast rat in Situ Chuyun’s hand, looking as if facing a great enemy.
“Your spirit pet is quite good,” Situ Chuyun remarked. “A Mutated Bloodline, Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage, and fairly intelligent. But… it’s still not quite capable of suppressing a Late Concentration Stage Intelligent Demon Beast.”
“A Late Concentration Stage Mutated Bloodline Monster Beast?” Lu Hangzhi was greatly astonished. He carefully examined the rat, which seemed to be unconscious, then turned his gaze back to Situ Chuyun’s face.
“Lady Situ, you…”
“You want to ask what my cultivation level is?”
“If it’s inconvenient…”
“It’s not inconvenient. But, the cultivation system where I’m from is different from yours. You can think of me as being only at the Initial Profound Light Stage,” Situ Chuyun said after thinking for a moment.
A different cultivation system?
Lu Hangzhi keenly picked up on some unusual information in her words.
Initial Profound Light Stage…
That makes sense.
She was able to inconspicuously guide him, making his “Seven-Seven Sword Formation” explode with astonishing power. She also managed to find and capture this Late Concentration Stage Intelligent Demon Beast hiding near the Xuanxin Sect. Only someone at the Mystic Light Stage could do such things.
“So it’s Immortal Lord Situ! This junior was disrespectful.”
“Don’t be so formal with me,” Situ Chuyun said impatiently, tossing the Monster Beast rat onto the ground. “The Barbarian Continent is on the brink of destruction. I don’t have time for pleasantries.”
“…”
“You cultivators of the Lower Realms simply don’t understand what kind of enemy the Cloud Mountain Sect provoked to come to this planet back in the day.”
Planet…
Lu Hangzhi’s eyes gleamed slightly, but he remained silent and continued listening without interrupting.
Situ Chuyun went on, “The trouble at Two Realms Mountain isn’t fully resolved. Or rather, I should say, the true calamity for the Barbarian Continent has only just begun.”
“It’s laughable that you people of the Lower Realms are still here, smug and self-satisfied. The battle isn’t even over, and you’ve already started dividing up Two Realms Mountain like a piece of fat.”
“…”
Lu Hangzhi’s expression gradually darkened.
“Lady Situ, are you saying that this meteorite I have, which sealed a Mystic Light Demon Beast, is not the most powerful enemy the Barbarian Continent will face?”
“That’s precisely why I sought you out, bypassing the four Inspector Envoys at Two Realms Mountain and the leaders of the Seven Great Sects.”
Situ Chuyun unexpectedly praised him, then said, “Based on the information I extracted from this Monster Beast rat’s mind, its master is likely a ‘Conquest Fiend God’ subordinate to a Realm King!”
“Don’t underestimate this title! For eons, there have only been three thousand main worlds connected to the Ancient Primordial Land. Each of these interfaces governs dozens of Medium Realms. Each Medium Realm is connected to hundreds of small realms, like your Barbarian Continent… The Demonic Fiends who hold the title ‘Conquest Fiend God’ are the elite among the powerful Demon God. They have merits from conquering realms, so they are qualified to rule a Medium Realm or even an Upper Realm.”
As she spoke, Situ Chuyun noticed that Lu Hangzhi didn’t look utterly confused or bewildered. He only showed seriousness and shock. Her estimation of him rose a little. She continued, “Each Conquest Fiend God commands countless Fiend Demon Generals, Great Fiend Kings, and Blood Fiends. A single Fiend Demon General can easily destroy a Lower Realm. A Great Fiend King’s strength is comparable to, or perhaps even a bit stronger than, the Mystic Light Demon Beast sealed in that meteorite you carry. As for Blood Fiends, they are ordinary Mystic Light Stage Monster Beasts! Hmm, your Barbarian Continent has truly only been attacked by one Blood Fiend so far—that initial Mystic Light Stage Snake Demon.”
“…”
Hearing this seemingly incomprehensible hierarchy of Monster Beasts from Situ Chuyun, Lu Hangzhi finally felt a headache coming on and bitterly smiled inwardly.
So it seems… All this time, the ‘Demon Realm’ in people’s minds has only sent miscellaneous troops to attack the Barbarian Continent. Not a single proper regular soldier has ever appeared…
“If I may ask, Lady Situ, how do you know all this?” Lu Hangzhi asked.
Although he didn’t think Situ Chuyun would joke about something like this, he couldn’t help but wonder how she knew so much about the Upper, Medium, and Lower Realms.
“I am not from this realm,” Situ Chuyun said.
Her words made Lu Hangzhi involuntarily take a deep breath. The word “transmigration” floated into his mind…
But his thoughts were quickly shattered.
Situ Chuyun said, “Actually, I entered the Barbarian Continent through the Sky Passage, along with those Monster Beasts.”
“Huh?” Lu Hangzhi blinked.
“You mean… you come from the Demon Realm?”
“Yes,” Situ Chuyun explained.
“The world I come from is also suffering invasion from the Demonic Fiends. However, we are more fortunate. Our world is an Upper Realm, with abundant Magic Power, rich resources, and Spiritual Peaks everywhere. The number and strength of our Cultivators are not something your Barbarian Continent can compare to.”
Lu Hangzhi understood.
An Upper Realm meant power. A Lower Realm meant poverty and weakness.
“But… how did you end up in the Barbarian Continent?”
“It’s your Barbarian Continent’s fault! You opened a Spatial Passage for no reason, right in the area I was patrolling on a mission. Moreover, that Conquest Fiend God had set up an Illusion Formation across the entire mountain range. I blundered right into it and was surrounded by countless Monster Beasts. With no way to escape, I had no choice but to dash into this Spatial Passage to save my life… And this damned Spatial Passage reacted violently to Mystic Light Stage cultivation. I had no choice but to seal my own cultivation. I only reached the level to break the seal recently, after being nourished by your Magic Power storm at Two Realms Mountain.”
Lu Hangzhi understood now.
No wonder she was only at the Epiphany Stage initially…
“Never mind that for now,” Situ Chuyun said, shifting the topic back.
“The biggest problem right now is this! The Conquest Fiend God sent three Intelligent Demon Beasts to the Barbarian Continent to assist its descendant in ruling this Lower Realm. But, the first Intelligent Demon Beast was killed by you—that Snake Demon. The second one was also eliminated by you a few days ago. The last one is this guy, half-dead. The Conquest Fiend God will soon realize something is wrong with its arrangements in the Lower Realm. At that point, the Demonic Fiends sent to the Barbarian Continent will become increasingly powerful… It might even give up hiding this realm and directly order a Fiend Demon General to tear through the void and slaughter all life.”
Hearing this, Lu Hangzhi could no longer remain calm.
“What would happen if we kept this Monster Beast rat alive?”
“Keeping it is simple, but…” Situ Chuyun sighed and shook her head. “If I guess correctly, these three Intelligent Demon Beasts have a way to communicate with the Demonic Fiends in my realm,” she said.
Lu Hangzhi thought for a moment.
That was true.
Every time the Monster Beasts launched a major offensive, the coordination with the Sky Passage was just perfect.
It seemed the methods and capabilities of the Upper Realm were indeed far superior to those of the Lower Realm.
“…Lady Situ, since you sought me out, do you have a plan to deal with this?” Lu Hangzhi asked.
“No!” Situ Chuyun rolled her eyes, pouring cold water on his hopes. “In the Upper Realm, I’m just an ordinary Mystic Light Stage cultivator, good at hiding and gathering intelligence. What brilliant plan could I possibly have? I only hope you people of the Lower Realm don’t remain blindly optimistic for too long! Or fall too quickly!”
“…You mentioned your companions earlier, and you’re a scout. So, that means the cultivator camp you belong to should be nearby, right?”
“…Huh?” Situ Chuyun looked surprised.
Seeing her expression, Lu Hangzhi knew he had guessed correctly. He felt no joy, only growing concern, and his expression became even more somber.
If a cultivator camp truly existed…
And it wasn’t far from the mountains Situ Chuyun was scouting, then the human cultivators and the Demonic Fiends would likely clash soon.
Situ Chuyun chose this moment to warn him, not because she had a way to prevent the Barbarian Continent’s fall, but because she hoped the main fighters of the Barbarian Continent wouldn’t fall too quickly…
It was quite thought-provoking.
It seemed…
“Situ Chuyun has a way to leave, and she is eager to get away from here. But it seems she needs time.”
With that thought, Lu Hangzhi instantly understood the purpose of her visit.